Studio Ghibli Shares Details About Hayao Miyazaki’s New Movie

It’s been a few years since fans have seen anything new from Hayao Miyazaki, but the famed artist intends to change that soon enough. Earlier this year, Studio Ghibli confirmed the award-winning director had left retirement to pursue a brand-new movie. And, now, the company has shed new details about the much-awaited film.

Earlier today, Movie Natalie reported that Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki opened up about Miyazaki’s new project in a recent letter (via ANN). The producer described the director’s film as an “action-adventure fantasy” and said Miyazaki’s son is also producing a new project for Studio Ghibli.

According to Suzuki, Miyazaki’s return to anime made sense to him once he saw exactly what the director was working on. The producer also added that Studio Ghibli will continue to produce films until “the day it fails,” marking a major shift in how the company has treated productions since Miyazaki left.

If you are not familiar with Miyazaki’s recent comeback, the artist returned to Studio Ghibli earlier this year after going into retirement in 2013. The director returned to adapt How Do You Live? into a film. As of right now, Miyazaki’s movie will take upwards of four years to finish, and Studio Ghibli just brought on a slew of animators to its production team to help complete the movie.

Very little is known about Miyazaki’s film, but fans do know about its source material. The movie is based on a classic Japanese story written in 1937 by Genzaburo Yoshino. The story focuses on a young boy named Koperu and his uncle as the two men discuss what it means to live as they go around their menial days. The story is a well-known one in Japan, and it seems like Miyazaki was spurred to do the adaptation for a very personal reason. Earlier this year, Suzuki revealed why the director chose to leave retirement to make the film, and the producer said it was all because of Miyazaki’s grandson.

According to Suzuki, the artist wanted to make sure he left a legacy behind that his grandson could be proud of. The producer admitted Miyzaki told him that his grandson may one day say something like, “Grandpa passed into the next world, but he left this work.”

Are you excited to see Miyazaki’s next film? Hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to let me know and talk all things anime!